General Motors (OnStar): Difference between revisions

This practice places a direct paywall on a critical, life-saving feature. The core of the issue rests on the classification of the OnStar system as a cellular communication device.<ref>{{Cite web |last=MarcBerm |date=2025-04-19 |title=Can You Call 911 Without an OnStar Subscription? I Tested It! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM7cqDzchjg |url-status=live |website=[[YouTube]]}}([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=nM7cqDzchjg Archived])</ref> The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (the "911 Act") mandates that mobile service providers must transmit all 911 calls to a public safety answering point, regardless of whether the caller has a subscription.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999 |title=S.800 - Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-bill/800 |url-status=live |archive-date= |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[Congress.gov]]}}([http://web.archive.org/web/20260116210001/https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-bill/800 Archived])</ref> It has been argued that by preventing a direct connection to emergency services via its most prominent emergency button, OnStar's behavior for non-subscribers is inconsistent with the spirit of this federal law and the established public expectation for emergency communication devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lopez |first=Jonathan |date=2020-06-30 |title=OnStar Hands-Free Calling Will Be Sunset in 2022 |url=https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/06/onstar-hands-free-calling-will-be-sunset-in-2022/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=[[GM Authority]]}}([http://web.archive.org/web/20250913181124/https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/06/onstar-hands-free-calling-will-be-sunset-in-2022/ Archived])</ref>